Unbridled Greed

Years ago I heard a joke that I thought was a bit over the top. It went like this:  

What do you call 50 lawyers drowning in the ocean? 

A good start!

Now that I’m older the joke doesn’t sound so ‘over the top’ as it did years ago.

You see, as we all know, most politicians are lawyers. And remember, politicians are the lawmakers. Usually when a person has a vested interested it’s considered a ‘conflict of interest’ for them to be involved. So why do we have lawyers making laws?

We have put the wolves in charge of the hen house!

We all know the rich are not paying their fair share. The politicians/lawyers have engineered a way for the rich and the lawyers to split the money that would normally go to the government for taxes. Through a complex system of laws, tax credits, rules of taxation and whole other set of these just for corporations, the rich become richer and un-rich continue to get less and less.

So next time you see a politician with their American Flag Lapel Pin remember, the lapel pin is there to give the impression they are a patriot. In fact, in most cases, they are the exact opposite! There is nothing patriotic about taking money out of America’s coffers and putting it in your own pocket or allowing your friends to put it in their pockets!

When I first heard about the founders of Facebook doing so well they were going public, I was happy for them. Now that I have read it’s a way for them to avoid paying taxes I am very upset. In fact, that was the catalyst for this article. One of the co-founders wasn’t born in the USA so in order to avoid paying taxes to the country where he made his millions, he’s renounced his citizenship. Zuckerberg was born in the USA so, from what I’ve read, he can’t do that. But he can claim a salary of $1 and offer company stock to his employees. This is a strategy that will have him receiving tax refunds from the government instead of paying!

How about a story a little closer to home? Over a decade ago a relative of mine sold the family ranch for around $10 million. He didn’t want to pay taxes on that. So he hired a law firm which used that money as collateral for a loan of the same amount. They then used the monies as collateral for safe investments (commercial rental properties). I have no idea how much my relative paid the lawyers to set it up, or how much he pays them monthly to manage it. But I do know he never paid taxes on that money and he gets a very nice monthly income.

Let’s look at another story. A member of the military retires after 20 years of service. Gets a comfortable retirement check every month. Do you know they still qualify for social security retirement as well? How about a member of Congress that serves one four year term. Did you know they get a retirement check for the rest of their lives for that? The military member had to serve 20 years to get theirs! By the way, the member of Congress is also eligible for social security retirement.

You see, social security retirement benefits are not restricted by income, only wages. So if your income is not wages, you’re in. Indeed, you can be a millionaire or billionaire and still receive social security retirement as long as you are not receiving wages exceeding the allowed yearly limit. You can have millions of dollars in income every year from investments and such! Since they are not ‘wages’ the person can receive social security retirement.

Of course the issues I’ve mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. The wolves, in charge of the hen house, have made a mockery of justice, fair play and equality. It will be a miracle if it’s ever corrected.

 “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

President Obama Endorses Marriage Equality

News Feed Discontinued

The economy has forced QueerPublicRadio.com to close down. Since this sight is affiliated with Queer Public Radio the news feed has been discontinued. www.QueerPublicRadio.com a 24/7 LGBTQIA Independent Internet Radio Station. Visit, Listen, Support and become involved.